REDWOOD CITY -- San Mateo High School social studies teacher Casey Teague wasn't sure he could ever own a home in San Mateo County.

But thanks to the San Mateo Union High School District and his mom, Teague and his fianc were able to start moving into a $760,000 home last week on the 1300 block of Kentfield Avenue in Redwood City.

Teague is one of the first to take advantage of the school district's first-time home buyer loan program for teachers.

The program, approved by the school board last October, allows teachers to borrow up to $50,000 from the district to put down on their first home. They have five years to pay back the loan with a 2 percent interest rate.

"This is in direct response to the district trying to retain quality staff," said Superintendent Sam Johnson Jr.

The 29-year-old Teague thought buying a home would come later in his life.

But about four months after looking on and off, he and fiance Robin Davidson found exactly what they were looking for.

The four-bedroom newer model home has high ceilings, a moderate sized kitchen, dining room and living room, a garage and back yard.

"It's close to where I work. It's close to where my fiance works. We love the location," he said.

While the school district loan helped, Teague also received a lot of assistance from his mother, Judy, who sold her condo in Foster City to help pay for the home.

But this was under the condition that she gets to move in with the couple.

"We really get along living together," Judy Teague said.

When she was undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer, her son and fiance lived with her at her condo.

Sergei Andruha of First Home, Inc., the company that helped the district facilitate the loans, said too many people think that buying a home is out of their reach.

He said there are many programs that can help first-time home buyers.

"Your first home is probably not going to be your perfect home. That will probably be your third or fourth home," he said. "But you will probably be able to start with a condo or townhome."

First Home offers workshops twice a month for first-time homebuyers. The next one is 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. June 5 at Daly City City Hall.